News NMFC & Tassie (the mass debate re our future there, the academy, attending advice)

Apr 1, 2008
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They are still carrying Sydney after 40 years.

It isn't about self sustainability, it's a long term strategy to crush rugby and take over the winter sports slot.

I’ve never understood why they see the need to monopolize the sporting landscape.

At this rate, the league will be owned by Amazon in 2043.
 
Apr 24, 2013
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I’ve never understood why they see the need to monopolize the sporting landscape.

At this rate, the league will be owned by Amazon in 2043.

Really? There mantra is to grow the sport, and viable competition doesn't help this.
 
Apr 1, 2008
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Really? There mantra is to grow the sport, and viable competition doesn't help this.

It’s not like cricket or soccer where there is an international stage to compete on, requiring the need to lure the best talent.

Australian Rules is a one-country sport. And will always be the highest participant sport in the states that matter.
 
It’s not like cricket or soccer where there is an international stage to compete on, requiring the need to lure the best talent.

Australian Rules is a one-country sport. And will always be the highest participant sport in the states that matter.

I suspect (in their minds) that is exactly one of the reasons that they do feel the need to grow it. The AFL being bigger in Australia means less competition from alternate sports overseas (that will always) have bigger pockets. My hunch is that they feel a competition that is say, 50% bigger in participation and players in 20-30 years is also capable of drawing more TV money and therefore offering more $$$ to players to retain interest. Particularly in light of the issues around concussion they may feel that they need to have more opportunities at an elite level, in your own country as a selling point against say the smaller chance at ridiculous money in say soccer overseas.

Whether I agree with that... I'm not sure but even Rugby can offer pathways to bigger comps and international $$$ (albeit while also suffering from the natural lure that overseas comps with bigger pockets can inflict).
 
Dec 18, 2014
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AFL Media: "We don't have anything to write about, how are we gonna justify getting payed? Ah yes...We'll write more articles about why North Melbourne should move interstate, that should do it".
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
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AFL Club
North Melbourne
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Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
It’s not like cricket or soccer where there is an international stage to compete on, requiring the need to lure the best talent.

Australian Rules is a one-country sport. And will always be the highest participant sport in the states that matter.

I don't see what international stuff has to do with it, but they do have loose aims in that regard.
 
Let's not get in the habit of throwing other clubs under the bus folks.

We, of all people, should know better than that. Be above it.

Gold Coast ain't a club so f*** them.

I'd fight to kee the Saints even though I detest them.
 
Apr 1, 2008
57,338
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Gold Coast ain't a club so f*** them.

I'd fight to kee the Saints even though I detest them.

Correct.

They were a team created by the league in order to contrive a rivalry with an existing already once-merged team.

It wasn’t a coming together of a group of blokes who worked on building the club from the ground up.
 

Le Grille

Cancelled
Veteran 10k Posts Werewolf Player SFA Good Friday Appeal North Melbourne - 2018 Luke Davies-Uniacke and Paul Ahern Player Sponsor BeanCoiNFT Investor North Melbourne - 2017 Junker and Wagner Player Sponsor Podcaster Zombie Lover A Star Wars Fan
Feb 14, 2005
21,875
39,485
AFL Club
North Melbourne
A number of big corporates and a number of smaller one's indicated during the business case they are definitly interested in sponsoring a Tassie team if we are granted a license.

Was this pre Covid?

Can you cite examples?

Indications of interest is pretty rubbery, any iron clad agreements?

I don’t want to knock Tassie having a team but the afl will not be interested in adding new teams as the costs involved in setting up and supporting the new venture will be way higher than equalisation payments currently paid. It would be foolish to undertake more expenditure in the wake of covid and making up losses due to that.

Tassie’s introduction has been knocked back at least 5 years in my opinion
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
Was this pre Covid?

Can you cite examples?

Indications of interest is pretty rubbery, any iron clad agreements?

I don’t want to knock Tassie having a team but the afl will not be interested in adding new teams as the costs involved in setting up and supporting the new venture will be way higher than equalisation payments currently paid. It would be foolish to undertake more expenditure in the wake of covid and making up losses due to that.

Tassie’s introduction has been knocked back at least 5 years in my opinion

The AFL don't want them now, I mean, why would they? This pandemic gave them the perfect out, and the coming financial readjustment will impact this idea further.
 

Le Grille

Cancelled
Veteran 10k Posts Werewolf Player SFA Good Friday Appeal North Melbourne - 2018 Luke Davies-Uniacke and Paul Ahern Player Sponsor BeanCoiNFT Investor North Melbourne - 2017 Junker and Wagner Player Sponsor Podcaster Zombie Lover A Star Wars Fan
Feb 14, 2005
21,875
39,485
AFL Club
North Melbourne
The AFL don't want them now, I mean, why would they? This pandemic gave them the perfect out, and the coming financial readjustment will impact this idea further.

I think they were mildly interested but definitely not now
 
Apr 24, 2013
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I think they were mildly interested but definitely not now

I think they won't be tossing money around nearly as freely in future.

They need to consolidate some savings, in case another rainy day occurs.

Tassie might end up with the GC licence, if the AFL decide to fold them, as Tassie would still be a basket case, but cost them less, but I can't see them even getting a look in for a side for another decade.
 

Colbys Boots

Premium Gold
Oct 3, 2017
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I think they were mildly interested but definitely not now

They felt mildly pressured but I don't think that necessarily translates to interest. However, the s**t behaviour of the Tasmanian Premier has set their chances back 5 years on top of the 5 years that Covid-19 has cost them.
 

Colbys Boots

Premium Gold
Oct 3, 2017
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Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah..............more empty rhetoric.

Tasmania's plan consists of a shaming exercise based upon some perceived historical entitlement, a bit of government start up cash that will quickly disappear, a couple of sponsors, and then relying on the AFL to make up the inevitable shortfalls once the die is cast.

Tasmania has no more entitlement to a football team than the suburb of Fitzroy.
 
The government has talked about contributing 8 to 12 million a year to run a team,a lot of people have been suggesting that it should be North Melbourne that relocates,so it will be interesting what happens with this.

The government doesn't spend that much on the Hawthorn and North deals combined and there is significant pushback by the community in terms of how much the government pays, directly and indirectly, when they do not find money for other areas of public interest.

I am sure the government would sponsor, but there is no guarantee that from election to election those deals would continue.

A number of big corporates and a number of smaller one's indicated during the business case they are definitly interested in sponsoring a Tassie team if we are granted a license.

I am sure there would be, the team would likely get some money from Cadbury, Boags/Cascade, Bank of Tasmania and semi-government companies like TT-Line, Aurora energy, etc.

Gold Coast has a number of corporate partners as well but they lose money hand over fist, they still rely massively on very large AFL distributions. We also get a future fund distribution so I am not going to be critical of clubs getting financial assistance, but our ratings from our free to air and pay-tv games are quite good, we in part get compensated because we do not get a fair access to the timeslots that other Victorian clubs get, there is always going to be a cycle like that in Victoria where some will need a balancing mechanism, if it didn't exist then the AFL wouldn't have the pool of Victorian games to generate the numbers for their stadium and broadcasting deals.

In terms of corporate support, while plenty have said they would support a Tasmanian team, they are a bit foggy on the details and the long-term commitment, we saw the business community pull out at the first opportunity once we had already committed to playing here and there is no reason these other businesses wouldn't do likewise if they believed they could get the financial benefit of having a team there without having to pay.

That is the crux of the problem. Without having something like a 25k stadium and the public committing to very long term membership commitments to memberships like Geelong or West Coast level of financial commitment then you wouldn't have the confidence that there would be that sound financial base that wouldn't require the AFL to heavily invest in financial support.

The AFL has neglected returning more than a barely adequate amount to clubs for a long time, and their inability to save for the future has created the problems like this pandemic has demonstrated. I think going forward, the AFL has to return more to the clubs that generate the revenue than they have and that means they have to cut back from spending money that should otherwise go the clubs rather than on their own pet projects.
 
The AFL has neglected returning more than a barely adequate amount to clubs for a long time, and their inability to save for the future has created the problems like this pandemic has demonstrated. I think going forward, the AFL has to return more to the clubs that generate the revenue than they have and that means they have to cut back from spending money that should otherwise go the clubs rather than on their own pet projects.

100% with you on this Tas. Hamstringing the clubs in order to push agendas from head office has made the whole competition more vulnerable. Think about an AFL with 16 teams that had an extra $2-300M today - that's the reality that could have existed without so many AFL folly's. They need to get back to returning money to teams and IMO their obsession with making the strong stronger for the immediate dollar is crippling the long term growth of the entire competition.
 
Apr 1, 2008
57,338
100,803
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Liverpool, Raiders, GSW, QPR, NYM
100% with you on this Tas. Hamstringing the clubs in order to push agendas from head office has made the whole competition more vulnerable. Think about an AFL with 16 teams that had an extra $2-300M today - that's the reality that could have existed without so many AFL folly's. They need to get back to returning money to teams and IMO their obsession with making the strong stronger for the immediate dollar is crippling the long term growth of the entire competition.

It’s ludicrous that the league is predicated on using the more supported clubs to generate bigger crowds in order to meet the targets of those in charge.

Ludicrous.
 
North Melbourne have asked the AFL to schedule four of the club's eight or nine home games for the shortened season in Hobart.
While the season has been reduced from 22 home-and-away games to 17, North have formally requested that the AFL stick to the plan for the Kangaroos to play four games at Hobart's Blundstone Arena in 2020.

North Melbourne chief executive Ben Amarfio confirmed to The Age that the club had made a formal submission to the AFL to keep those four home games in Hobart, as the league had scheduled prior to the coronavirus-reduced and interrupted season.

Amarfio said the Kangaroos wanted to fulfil their "big commitment in Tassie" and to fulfil their deal with their Tasmanian partner, the Spirit of Tasmania, by playing the four games. The Kangaroos also want to fulfil their contract for the four Hobart games next year.
The question of whether games will be played in Tasmania - and how many - is one of the major queries surrounding the AFL's abbreviated fixture.
 
Apr 1, 2008
57,338
100,803
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Liverpool, Raiders, GSW, QPR, NYM
North Melbourne have asked the AFL to schedule four of the club's eight or nine home games for the shortened season in Hobart.
While the season has been reduced from 22 home-and-away games to 17, North have formally requested that the AFL stick to the plan for the Kangaroos to play four games at Hobart's Blundstone Arena in 2020.

North Melbourne chief executive Ben Amarfio confirmed to The Age that the club had made a formal submission to the AFL to keep those four home games in Hobart, as the league had scheduled prior to the coronavirus-reduced and interrupted season.

Amarfio said the Kangaroos wanted to fulfil their "big commitment in Tassie" and to fulfil their deal with their Tasmanian partner, the Spirit of Tasmania, by playing the four games. The Kangaroos also want to fulfil their contract for the four Hobart games next year.
The question of whether games will be played in Tasmania - and how many - is one of the major queries surrounding the AFL's abbreviated fixture.

Horseshit.
 
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